Years ago I had a business I was pouring TONS of effort into yet getting very little in return.
I was desperate and in urgent need of a venture that could earn me some serious cash.
So I asked my friend Mercy: “What business can I do that would earn me money!”
She responded: “Hannah, you’re asking the wrong question. You should be asking: What business could I do that I’d be Wildly Passionate about?”
Years later I see the great wisdom of her words.
That business I slaved over but was NOT excited about tanked- DUH!
It was bound to fail because my heart wasn’t in it-
I’ve learned that no matter how much one earns in a business- if you don’t L.O.V.E it, it’s just another job- only worse because when you’re the owner much more weighs heavily on your shoulders.
Now I have a business I’m crazy about! It includes my TV Project Dream BIG.
A few days ago Mercy asked me, “How do you feel about the people you make Dream BIG for?”
“I LOVE THEM!” I responded without any hesitation!
And I do love our Dream BIGGERS!
Had I pushed to make a “success” of a business only for the money I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as Dream BIG thrills me! And I sure wouldn’t love the individuals who make up our audience.
I’ve learned that if what we do is not founded on Love it can never bring us Joy.
P.S. I had the pleasure and honour of interviewing extreme adventurer Riaan Manser recently.
What a rocker guy!
Below is the second half of our interview with him.
I shared this clip at a business where Dream BIG had been asked to give an inspirational talk- Our audience was blown away by what drives Riaan- I hope it’ll bless you too!
You can watch the exciting first half of this interview here.
Years ago I was sitting in a TV Presenting Course- eager to go on the silver screen-
I remember our coach saying to the group: “Some of you will get there super fast,” and she snapped her fingers, “and some of you may take a little longer to get there- but you will…”
I was in the latter group – it took me a LONG time after that class to finally start my TV career.
Looking back I’m grateful for the longer way- because it taught me SO much- and it taught me that it’s worth working toward a goal even if it takes longer than you think- If you stay the course you WILL get there.
I’m taking a class now that’s doing LOADS to help me with my business- for you Dream BIGGERS out there- don’t stop Learning!
Absorb as much as you can- grab every opportunity to learn something new…
World Famous Businessman Jack Welch often said the main thing that separated his company from competitors was how much his team knew… they knew so much because they invested in learning and discovering new stuff!
I’m a traveler- I’ve learned to make peace with how long some journeys take… I’ve also learned to not give up.
Sometimes the longer route is designed that way to teach you stuff you would never learn taking short cuts-
The most INCREDIBLE thing about Learning is that it teaches you to replicate success- but even MORE than that it gives you the wisdom to teach others- The ability to do that… WOW it has made my long trips SO worth it!
Something about it danced in my heart and brought me SUCH joy…
This morning I woke with the urgency of projects we needed to tackle- My husband brought me tea in bed- I was nervous about speaking with him about some of what I was thinking because we’ve been under tremendous pressure from all sides- His response was tender- and I felt safe- and ready to tackle the world!
I’m sitting at my laptop now- inspired- because I’m deeply in love: with Myself, with my life and with all that God has given me.
Often we chase for the elusive More… We need it- OH How we LONG for it!
But the More we seek is actually Love.
It’s that simple.
It’s that smile from a stranger, that hug from our children that tenderness from our lover that assures us: I see You- And You matter.
Love.
I wish we could be so honest about how much THIS is actually what we want.
It’s not the perfect house- or the six figure job- it’s not the fancy car and designer clothes- it’s Love. That thing that seems as delicate as flower petals and yet is as powerful as the seven raging seas combined.
Nothing inspires and heals and seeks and brings together like Love.
May we delve into it- Eyes shut and hearts WIDE open!
May we be freed from the fear of rejection – may the wounds flung upon us close forever… May we once again, like children straight from the womb- reach out and live every part of our lives in this most wondrous Gift: L.O.V.E.
Hannah Viviers is the Creator and Host of the Dream BIG TV Show. Oh and she’s a hopeless romantic!
Please say out LOUD with me: Money is NOT my Master!
Again Please: Money is NOT my Master!
Because it’s not!
I’m filled with compassion and rage because I was recently woken from a trap so many of us come across far too often: The desire to have money.
Don’t get me wrong- never will you hear me say money doesn’t matter. In the world we live in it does.
Even missionaries who are serving God in the remotest areas of this planet need us to support them financially because they need money to survive too!
Money is an every day part of life- there’s no getting away from that.
But here’s the thing- it’s extremely dangerous to be motivated by money.
How do I know? Because, like I said, I was woken up to it just recently.
When I started Dream BIG– never in my mind was it to make money.
I started Dream BIG because of my burning desire to share this message:
God loves You. He designed You for a very specific purpose. That Purpose is a Dream You have. Please live Your Dream. Because in it you’ll experience joy. In it so many of us will be blessed through YOU!
For the longest time I fed off of the need to spread this message- Then came the time when it was no longer viable to spread the message without money coming in to enable us to do so.
So I went in to “raise money mode”.
So focused did I become in doing this that a part of who I was got lost- and with it the burning desire that had led me to start the Dream BIG Movement in the first place.
As the purpose that had once driven me begun to be overtaken by the need to make money, compromises started to creep in. Where once I’d followed God’s leading completely- I begun to toy with strategies and moves that He did not approve of.
These ideas seemed great and were utterly above board… I believed they’d turn our operations around and catapult us into the level of financial success we needed. So I began to ignore God’s prompting and guidance.
As I followed the money trail I began to feel trapped- The beautiful Dream (I knew had come from God) begun to weigh heavily on me-
When I started Dream BIG I was completely at peace with me.
I loved my life and everything about it.
The project opened blessing upon blessing for us.
I was filled with joy every day I worked on it- but that was back then when God led me. Whatever seemed to come against us, I’d say to God: “Daddy You are the CEO of this operation. I work for YOU. So You have to sort this out for us.”
But then the need for money grew- eventually that need became boss.
The change in management brought a slew of ailments: Stress crept in. Chaos followed soon after. I began to neglect first myself, then my family and then everything else that had once mattered and fulfilled me.
Unhappiness rushed in like a flood. Guilt moved in…
No matter how well I did I could not get over the sense of not being good enough-
Although I never doubted that God had birthed Dream BIG in me I started to resent it because of how it begun to eat at me.
I became short-tempered and snappy! Let’s not even talk about how threatened and suspicious I became… All a sign of someone moving out of God’s provision and into their own strength- it never works!
It was like a gigantic vacuum cleaner had come into my life and sapped all the beauty I’d once enjoyed!
All this begun to reflect in my body- the weight piled on like crazy because food comforted me and seemed to pacify the anxiety and strain I was going through…
Let me tell you when folks say money is a cruel master, believe them. Because it’s true.
I used to read the story of Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of food and I’d thought: “Dude how stupid can you be!”
And yet many of us do it more often that we realise.
Dear friend, what God has given You, don’t give away for any price- it’s never worth it.
God wants you to have money. I believe He wants You to have lots of it because You’ll need it to impact lives.
What I’ve learned though is that You have to trust the way in which He sees fit for money to come. Whether it’s in business, or Church or Non-Profit- we have to move into a level of believing fully that God has got our backs when it comes to finances.
I recently published a post about reconnecting with who God designed me to be. That is crucial for anyone who wants to do anything meaningful. I encourage you to read that article here
Now that I’m back at the place where God is in control again- I can tell you that peace has poured in like a Mighty Flood!
I got my Joy back!
How wonderful it is to feel the Joy of the Lord Pumping through my veins!
Dream BIG is God’s SHOUT OUT of love to me and everyone who encounters it!
He’s called me to partner with Him on this project. It’s an exciting journey that fills me with such a thrill I can’t even tell you!
Is money important? Yes it is. But following God’s plan is far more vital. His plan has EVERYTHING you need for your venture- including money!
I pray that no matter what your situation is right now You would be released from worrying about your bank balance.
Instead of wasting all that energy planning and strategising about where your next buck or (gazillion bucks) will come from- reconnect with the God who made ALL things.
Don’t believe the lie that “making money” has to be priority for You to actually have money.
I pray freedom and liberty over You from this lie.
I dare You to let all go and trust God with your finances.
I feel to share the following…
For years I couldn’t have children. I did everything I knew how to do to conceive- My breakthrough came when I went to God and said: “You created me. You made my body. Help me! Fix me! Please!”
God’s answer to me was: “Hannah, who told you that you were broken? I created you Whole. You are NOT broken! There is nothing wrong with you!”
I didn’t understand what He meant because all the evidence said I was broken. I did need to be fixed.
God immersed me into His Word and showed me who He had created me to be. He revealed verse after verse in the Bible that showed me that it was His will for me to have children! This nonsense about me being barren was a lie! And sadly I’d believed it because of the physical evidence I’d experienced.
I feel to share this part of my life with you because just like God showed me the truth about my fertility- so He wants us to know the truth about our wealth in Him!
I have two babies now. Each one proof that God created me with the full capacity to have children.
Likewise, God created us with the capacity to have money- it’s in our spirit’s DNA! Believe that truth and leave the rest to Him.
I pray you’d be released from the bondage I once experienced of being motivated by money.
Through my experience I learned that while the dream may be right if the motivation is wrong the dream could destroy you. That’s never God’s intention when He gives us these incredible aspirations.
It’s in knowing that, that, I pray that You would be motivated by something far greater: God’s love for You. And the surety that what He’s started in You He will be faithful to Fund and see through right till You get to Your designated finish line.
Much, Much Love,
Hannah
P.S Here’s a beautiful song that God used to draw me back into His Love and out of bondage of worrying about our cash flow…
Yesterday I spent the day with my children. How incredible!
For weeks I’d been working incessantly on our show Dream BIG. Just about everything I did (all day) was directed at the project.
This week my kids were extra cranky- I knew all the while it was because I wasn’t spending enough time with them.
I found myself giving an excuse that’s concerned and irked me often about career or business driven parents: “I’m doing all this now so my babies can have a more secure future…”
Can you imagine my disgust when I realised I was thinking these very words!
I don’t know when working so hard took centre stage. It’d happened gradually- and then before I knew it the work had consumed me. Great, meaningful work- and yet definitely NOT the most important aspect of my life!
I love serving. I do it every day for Dream BIG– and yet while I was serving others- I was neglecting the people I’m most responsible to- my family.
So yesterday I stepped out of my office and into my children’s world. A world I want to be part of every day- that’s the world that really matters.
It was this quote that yanked me out of the state of working in over-drive and neglecting my kids:
I thought of the many times my little boy had come to speak with me and I’d irritably shooed him away saying, “I’m busy!”
Or how many times my daughter had reached out to hold me- I’d pick her up, without connecting with her, and continue pouring all my attention to what was going on on my laptop instead of what was going on with my little girl.
Love is shown. Never ever does a child not need to be shown love.
Whatever love language a child speaks- they all need to be engaged with. They all need to feel seen and heard. That requires uninterrupted time with us.
There are no other people on the planet a child looks up to more than their parents. We shape their little worlds. We are the ones who make the greatest impact on their lives.
I am convinced with everything in me that God has called me to Dream BIG. Not a cell in my body doubts that. But from experience I can say we can pervert the dreams God has set before us by neglecting the primary roles He’s given us.
As a mom there is no greater calling in my life than to be a virtuous wife and highly involved mother- these are roles I can never assign to anyone else.
Yesterday ended with me tickling my son senseless. Oh how he laughed! As the music of his giggles and laughter filled my every being- I wondered how long it’d been since I’d heard that beautiful sound…
My daughter clambered on me (as is her nature). I could feel her little body loving every moment of connecting with her mom.
No job I do will ever match my calling to raise these kids.
Often I’m Wowed by people who tell me how much my work means to them- I love this because it validates what I’m doing. This week though I wondered, while I’m blessing others, who’s blessing my kids?
Children are a gift from God. No gift God gives comes laced with guilt. So my awakening this week was not from a sense of guilt- it stemmed from being reminded that I was missing out on things like my son’s laughter and my daughter’s fierce and crazy ways.
I’m not me without my babies poking their little faces into my world and urging me to explore life with them.
I’ve never admired super rich people whose family lives were in chaos- I don’t want to have impacted the lives of many people while my own children were impacted by everything else but me… That could never be success in my books.
Who we are shows up in our business.
A huge part of who I am is Mom. My “Mommy” heart is what birthed Dream BIG. God designed me as this mushy, hopeless romantic who values the beauty of family deeply. If I can’t bring that into my business then I have nothing to bring.
“When you go to God believing BIG, believing for your dreams, that’s not just being positive. You’re exchanging your faith, the currency of heaven, which allows Him to do Great Things.”
I’ve been challenged with this in the past couple of weeks.
Me! Who started an entire Movement that urges people to Dream BIG! How could I be lacking in this area?!
But I was!
While I was whining about so many things going wrong with this project I love so much- Moaning that I was failing to serve the people we created Dream BIG for- it was brought to my attention that I was Dreaming way too small!
Going BIG starts with Dreaming BIG!
Let your imagination Run Wild!
Don’t Tame that inner instinct to do Great Things!
Dream BIGGER!
Money. That’s one of the main reasons people feel unable to pursue their dreams.
I get that. After all it’s true, money does pay the bills-
But there’s another truth I’ve believed- it was precisely articulated by the testimony of my Pastor, Stuart Agnew, of the Tribe last night-
When God says JUMP! Trust that in Him You won’t crash to the ground- No, You’ll Fly!
Most times when people ask me whether they should quit their jobs- I usually reply:
“No. Start small. Begin working on your business while you’re working- When your own company begins to show sustainable profit then jump.”
This, I believe, is sound advice.
But when it’s God urging you to jump- my advice then is: Trust.
I’ve been hearing wonderful testimonies of people who have truly heard God and followed His lead- My have they flown!
This is not to say their journeys are easy- far from it!
But like My Pastor for instance, I can see first hand what his jump has meant, first for him and further than that for many other people. He will probably never know the Reach of his Impact- but it’s there and it’s Loud!
When it’s God leading you, where others see a fall, I pray you would see the opportunity to fly!
If we truly want to have deeply meaningful lives… If we want to experience these BIG Dreams we long for- then we need a renewed courage to Trust the voice of a God who truly loves us. And then, follow His leading.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a harder working person on the planet. And I mean that.
But hard work, while commendable, is usually neither here nor there- what I’d really like to share about this remarkable Young Man is his heart.
Brighton’s younger than me.
When we were small I remember him being annoyingly meticulous at everything he did. Annoying because I felt he made me look bad- I wasn’t as diligent as he was.
When my mom gave us chores Brighton would take tasks assigned to him so seriously it irked me! But now as an adult I admire this quality.
As kids Brighton always said he’d make it BIG. Even back then, when he was just a child, his main reason for wanting to be successful was so we, his family, would not suffer.
For the most part my brothers and I grew up tough.
We learned to work hard from very early on- but no one worked harder than my brother Brighton. He was barely ten when he eagerly helped my mother in her business.
He would work alongside my mom carrying insanely heavy items that, looking back, were quite a feat for one so young.
But Brighton was driven by something none of us could articulate- a drive to make things happen for himself no matter how hard the going went. Thankfully, years later, he hasn’t changed.
I will never forget a time when I was in college with no financial support for my schooling- Brighton committed to providing essentials I needed- including paying for a trip that built my portfolio and did much to help me secure my first job as a journalist. At the time he was waiting tables at a restaurant.
During that same period our family came under huge financial strain. Brighton and our younger brother Michael, on their waiters’ wages, provided most of the food that landed on our table. Michael was 17, Brighton 19.
It’s true what they say about people who go through hardships at a young age. I see the tenacity and raw determination it built in my brothers.
No road was paved for them. They bashed out courses on their own- going places, sometimes far and daunting, to make things happen- often with only each other for support.
Brighton is a grown man now. And yet that Warrior Heart I remember of him as a child has not changed. It roars ever louder!
There’s a rare quality I’ve seen in my brother that I admire deeply: Brighton is Loyal.
When we were younger, no matter how tough things got for us as a family he never abandoned ship. There were times I’d walk away- but Brighton never.
I’ve come to know him as a man of his Word. Whenever he’s told me he’ll do something- he’s come through for me- every single time!
During the times he’s offered support in my business Brighton’s valued my clients as though they were his very own.
Knowing the financial strain of a start-up he’s at times provided me with remarkable unpaid for expertise as though he were working on his own venture!
I’ve left much out! All I can say is remember this face- Remember the name Brighton Wanjelani. He decided long ago he’d be successful- he’s being just that. He decided long ago that he would be a stand-up guy- over the years I’ve seen him solidify that quality over and over again.
I have a Warrior for a Brother. A Mighty Soldier I know has my back no matter what. I’m extremely proud of that.